One of the things I enjoy the most during my annual trips to Tokyo are the meet-ups with like-minded individuals who are into animation/manga/movies and in this particular occasion our common shared interest and passion for in all things created by AKIRA director Otomo Katsuhiro.

Unofficially calling themselves the ‘Otomo Model Kit Hobby Club’, many of the members are themselves professional artists and/or creatives, including Satoshi Takabatake, who was Otomo’s manga assistance on AKIRA, and Asano-san, who works at Shirogumi, the VFX studio behind Godzilla : Minus One.

This year we met at a bar/restaurant called FLUX located near Kanda JR station, and many members also bought along their model kits and 3D-printed figures for all to appreciate. Fans of Otomo would likely recognize many of them; characters from Robot Carnival, Farewell To Weapons, and of course AKIRA.

(above & below) Ridiculously detailed paper-cut art pieces by the incredibly aforementioned Asano-san.

(above) I’m not usually one to request for selfies, but I absolutely had to take a photo with these two fine gentlemen, both who are members of Geinoh Yamashirogumi, the musical group behind the original soundtrack of AKIRA. I managed to pick up the vinyl for the REMIX edition at Shibuya Tower Records last year ( image below ).

A delightful evening filled with plenty of stories and nerdy conversations revolving around animation, comics and movies. I hope to see them again during my next visit !

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